The two seniors committee candidates, Raiders punter Ray Guy and Falcons and Eagles defensive end Claude Humphrey were also elected, meaning all seven gained at least 80 percent of the vote from the 46-member committee.

Those seven players emerged from a grueling nine-plus-hour meeting, which whittled a field of 15 modern finalists in stages.

The first five finalists eliminated in the cut from 15 to 10 were 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo, kicker Morten Andersen, wide receiver Tim Brown, coach Tony Dungy and safety John Lynch.

The finalists who made the final 10 but were cut before the final five included linebacker Kevin Greene, defensive end Charles Haley, running back Jerome Bettis, guard Will Shields and wide receiver Marvin Harrison.

They will go back into the pool next year, along with a strong group of first-time eligible candidates, which include linebacker Junior Seau, quarterback Kurt Warner, wide receivers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce, tackle Orlando Pace and running back Edgerrin James.

Brooks over Haley is obvious.
Strahan over Haley is ridiculous.
Strahan over Green is ridiculous.
Saying that Strahan heads this class is also ridiculous, he’s not even in the top 5 of this class (with the seniors thrown in).

Derrick Brooks was the best playmaker at lb in league history.. Dude was awesome to watch..
Congrats to Andre Reed. It was truly a pleasure to watch this guy catch passes and make people miss across the middle.
Glad to see a punter get in. special teams play a role in the game and deserve to be recognized..

No disrespect to Andre Reed,but Harrison and Brown were far Superior to him as players.

pksoze says:Feb 1, 2014 7:30 PM

Seriously you people think Haley was better than Strahan. Why because Haley played on dominant 49ers and Cowboys teams. Teams in which he was never even the best defensive player on.

Strahan has more sacks, was better against the run, was selected twice as many times as an all pro, was defensive player of the year. And even if you don’t want to give him the credit for the sack record, at worst he tied the all time sack record. Strahan was better period.

russrpm says:Feb 1, 2014 7:31 PM

It is ridiculous that Charles Haley hasn’t been elected yet. For all the talk that only what happens on the field is considered, it is obvious that Haley’s personality is the defining issue here. Ndamukong Suh should take note.

WoW Charles Haley not in the Hall of Fame yet should have been in long time ago 5 Superbowl wins i dont think M.Strahan should even be in the hall of fame Brett Farve tells his O-line to let him in on purpose so he can get the sack record the NFL is a joke

somethingsmellsrotten says:Feb 1, 2014 7:33 PM

Hall of Fame voters are all idiots…nothing but media morons. Until they give actual football people votes, then there is no HOF credibility.

While I am sad Bettis did not make it, I have no quarrel with those who did. Further, I think that the HOF might consider expanding the number of qualified players. How many teams and how many per team were there when the annual maximum of 5 was set. I just think consideration should be given. Worthiness, not quotas, should dominate. Ray Guy is my prime example of a player who was all by himself for quality production and just now made it. IMO

Who thumbs down the guy just saying Brooks? Brooks is known as one of the nicest people in the universe, the guy had 11 Pro-Bowls, 9 All-Pro selections, 2002 Defensive Player of the Year and even scored a TD in the SB. If you hate on Brooks you’re an idiot that should just go back to watching Glee.

tonyugoh says:Feb 1, 2014 7:40 PM

Marvin Harrison played in 44 fewer games than Andre Reed and had 41 more touchdowns. Harrison not getting in is a joke.

Congrats to the other 6 inductees, all deserving candidates.

jerryyouradisgrace says:Feb 1, 2014 7:42 PM

Congrats to Andre Reed…he owned the middle of the field like no other..

The HOF voting is a joke. No Bettis? U put Andre reed in with Harrison and Tim
Brown on the same ballot? Aneas Williams? Wow….Bettis won’t get in next year cuz they will prob vote Egde James in, next year it’ll be LT….. And so on….

This becomes more of a popularity contest in some cases …I am not sure the voting committee knows the difference between good, very good and great… Sorry but this is now a yearly joke. On a side note Dan Lebartards dad had a vote on Heisman voting… Doesn’t that tell you enough about voting in general??

I would have loved to see Marvin Harrison get in, but seeing how long it took guys Andre Reed or Chris Carter to get in, it is not a huge surprise to see he didn’t get in this go round. I’m sure he’ll be in within the next couple years.

joker65 says:Feb 1, 2014 8:00 PM

Best part about Reed getting in is that nowBills fan can go away for a long,long time. They won’t have another Hof candidate for probably another 30 years!

ratsfoiledagain says:Feb 1, 2014 8:01 PM

Congrats Mr. Walter Jones.

Quite possibly the best LT in history. If your opinion is otherwise, that’s fine.

But, he’s easily in the discussion!

Deb says:Feb 1, 2014 8:03 PM

Congrats to the inductees! I’m disappointed about Bettis, but my overwhelming thought on reading these names is that it’s way past time Ray Guy made it to the Hall!!!

What a joke all i can say Charles Haley not in ? need to take the vote away from dudes that never played the game WHAT A JOKE

win1soon says:Feb 1, 2014 8:04 PM

Reed should have been in before Michael (I Can’t yell loud enough) Irvin! Class acts like Art Monk, Andre Reed, and Jerome Bettis have to wait while the arrogant, outspoken ones like Irvin and Sapp get in without a probem due in large part to there jobs on NFL network. GO BILLS!

Haley has 5 rings and was a force on the field. Even though it isn’t supposed to factor, his off-field stuff is why he hasn’t been and probably won’t be elected. Look up some of the stuff he used to do in the locker room and to his own teammates. It’s disgusting and it is hard for the voters to ignore.

Screw Betttis. Dude shouldn’t even have a bowl for one if it wasn’t for some horrible umpiring, right up with the worst ever for a Super Bowl and he almost fumbled the AFC championship game away as well. All he had was luck so why should he be in. If anything he should be on the granny’s buffet hall of fame.

I don’t have a favorite player here, but for all those saying Reed over Harrison is ridiculous – they played in different eras and you can’t directly compare the stats. I remember watching Reed play and he was very very solid, not Moss or Megatron level, not even close, but solid. Yet that’s exactly the same term I’d use for Harrison. Harrison will get in, but don’t take away from Reed. If Reed never made it, frankly I’d say Harrison shouldn’t either.

If Bettis gets in for a lifetime achievement award then that means Testaverde should get in. If Bettis should get in because he’s 6th in all-time rushing (at less than 4ypc), then Testaverde should be a shoe-in for being 9th all-time in passing.

How so? Did he get more votes than anyone else?
Brooks & Jones are FBHOFers… they lead the way.

In top of that, Haley>Strahan.

Marvin Harrison>Brown>Reed

blogatron2000 says:Feb 1, 2014 8:37 PM

Glad Ray Guy finally gets his due. Seriously don’t get how Charles Haley and Will Shields are passed over for the likes of Sapp and Strahan. Serious credibility hit this year, voters. Whose pocket are you in?

These fans who think Harrison is far superior to Reed must be 16 years old. Harrison has superior stats in an era that was more conducive to passing the ball and he played in a dome. Reed played in Buffalo, was a great playoff performer and his numbers are still comparable to Harrison. If you actually watched the games instead of going by a statistics website you would realize how good Andre Reed was.

danieljameswhite70 says:Feb 1, 2014 8:43 PM

Harrison wouldn’t even have gotten off the line of scrimmage if he played when Reed and Brown did. Harrison made his living up the side lines..in a “kinder gentler” NFL. Brown and Reed made their names going over the middle..especially Brown.

r8dernation says:Feb 1, 2014 8:45 PM

Glad to finally see Reed and Guy get in. Long overdue for both. But Timmy snubbed again? Haley snubbed again? I would like to see the selection committee revamped.

ralphwilsonisrich says:Feb 1, 2014 8:48 PM

Reed did not play in a dome or play in sunny california. He did play in 34 games where the temp was less than 32. Harrison or brown play in those conditions

Brown I think is the biggest snub. He retired in the top 5 of most receiving stats. Add into that his punt returning and he is in the top 5 total yards. Glad to see Guy get in as he is one of the best punters ever. Reed does deserve it but I’m not sure I would take him before Brown. Brooks was a beast and so was Jones and they were more than deserving. Strahan got a boost from his media exposure and the NY SB but that doesn’t mean he isn’t worthy. He was a pain to play against.

The reason why I suspect Harrison didn’t get in has less to do with his skill. Outside of football Harrison’s name brings controversy.

raiderrob21 says:Feb 1, 2014 9:13 PM

FINALLY Ray Guy!!!!!! Sad it took his long. This should have been the headline. Strahan NOT a 1st ballot. Now that Guy is in, time for the other Raider greats to get in JIM PLUNKETT, TOM FLORES, CLIFF BRANCH, TIM BROWN, KEN STABLER, LESTER HAYES, JACK TATUM, DAVE DALBY, STEVE WIZNIEWSKI

I want one sportswriter who did not vote for Haley to state why they didn’t vote for him. If it is because he didn’t get along with sportswriters then look in the mirror and admit your being petty and vindictive and give up your vote

What a crime Haley left out in the time that he played Michael Strahan would have been a nobody. I always liked Williams but to vote him in and leave out one of the games all time greats is a crime and shows a clear agenda by the writers

Harrison and reed played in two different eras, Harrison’s prime came when the rules favored receivers after the 98 season, he would not be as successful against the physical play of reeds hayday. Imo of course.

canedaddy says:Feb 1, 2014 9:28 PM

Not bad. Brooks and Jones were the clear choices, well deserved. Also glad to see Humphrey make it. Can’t argue with Williams either.

Strahan and Reed are borderline to me. Both got in ahead of guys who were better at their positions (Haley and Harrison, both of whom weren’t great with the media… hmmmm.)

I’m not crazy about Ray Guy being the first punter in, given that his average doesn’t reflect true greatness (tied with eight dudes at No. 89). Somehow his name has become synonymous with the position in spite of that… guess it’s the Raiders effect.

On the other hand, I’m glad that the bar hasn’t been lowered to let in mediocre dudes like Jerome Bettis.

Screw Betttis. Dude shouldn’t even have a bowl for one if it wasn’t for some horrible umpiring, right up with the worst ever for a Super Bowl and he almost fumbled the AFC championship game away as well. All he had was luck so why should he be in. If anything he should be on the granny’s buffet hall of fame.

If you are the number six rusher all time, and 4 of the 5 guys a head of you are in the HOF (with the 5th not eligible yet) you ought to be in. No position takes more punishment than RB. The Bus ought to be in – over at least half these guys. Period.

Good golly, so many people ripping this class. There really are a lot of stupid people that post on this site. Although, as an owner of a website, I do know that it is typically the stupid that choose to spew vitriol anonymously behind an icon or screen name – the anonymity of the web enables so many morons.

tbih says:
Feb 1, 2014 9:49 PM
Two guys with a five year career overlap isn’t “different eras”…that’s nonsense.

———–

Seriously? You’re telling me that Jim Kelly and the no-huddle is the same as Manning and throw it 60 times a game?

Reed would have had the same stats as Harrison had in Indy with that offense. They’re the same player. Harrison will get in but it’s no big controversy he didn’t get in on the first ballot. Frankly the Tim Brown supporters are the ones that should have something to complain about today she he rarely had a decent QB throwing him the ball.

blogatron2000 says:Feb 1, 2014 10:29 PM

Sapp and Strahan this year and Chris Carter last year. The media is taking care of their own at the expense of more deserving candidates. Seems like HOF voting is officially a popularity contest.

The bar is so low for the football HOF compared to Cooperstown. What a joke that they induct as many as they do every year.

srgpsycho says:Feb 2, 2014 6:45 AM

Nice to see Williams get the nod. Great kid with shut down cover skills. Sadly snubbed previously by playing on mediocre teams. I was surprised to see him get elected. At least they got this one right.

bkg63 says:Feb 2, 2014 7:33 AM

Eagles Nation, let’s hear it for one of our (few) own, Claude Humphrey!

Congratulations to him and entire HOF class.

kev86 says:Feb 2, 2014 7:58 AM

Strahan will get a nice ovation at Giants Stadium tonight. NYG!!

nickynick04 says:Feb 2, 2014 9:19 AM

Claude Humphrey
AND
NO
JERYY KRAMER

The Hall is now officially a joke.

brettfavresmidget says:Feb 2, 2014 10:41 AM

I guess if non-football players get in, they may as well let a kicker in.

You have to note that the game has evolved and also respect the process and tradition. Andre Reed was 2nd in catches and 3rd in yardage when he retired. Rule changes have opened up the passing game. Tim Brown and Marvin Harrison have to wait their turn as Reed did. Any one who says Reed doesn’t deserve to get in never saw him play. In the mean time with ” defenseless receiver calls” protecting the QB etc other Receivers will pass Harrison & Brown’s numbers. They will still deserve to get in .

Strahan was one of the all-time greats and arguably should have gotten in last year. Too bad he and Sapp did not play the same position so it would be easier to say which one was the “greatest.” Too bad determining a player’s greatness is also tied to the teams he played on and how good the players around him were. Then again, who really cares. It is fun to watch Sapp diminish himself. Comparing stats, Strahan wins. Comparing class, Strahan wins. Also really happy for Ray Guy!

bobsnygiants says:Feb 2, 2014 5:37 PM

Players from 50-60-70 should be in the Hall, but who ever forget these players should be ban from voting

tominma says:Feb 2, 2014 9:14 PM

Im a Pats fan. Which means I HATED the Colts. Marvin Harrison not in the HOF is a total joke. No other WR nominees are on his level!

Reed’s offenses threw far less often than Harrison’s offenses. In Reed’s 15 seasons with Buffalo, they threw more than they ran only 6 times. In Harrison’s 13 years, the Colts threw the ball more than they ran all 13 times. Buffalo averaged 497 passes per season during Reed’s career; Indianapolis averaged 554 passes per year while Harrison was there. The offenses were totally different. Both are hall of famers. Saying that Reed’s induction is “ridiculous” is, in fact, ridiculous.